Zohran Mamdani Has Bought Share of Top-Flight European Football Club
Newly elected New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is a shareholder at a club in one of European football's top leagues.
Mamdani, 34, became the city's youngest mayor since 1892 and the first Muslim in history to hold the position.
The Democrat defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani focused his campaign on issues of affordability and housing, drawing support through his youthful energy and charismatic style.
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The new mayor will also have sporting matters to contend with, notably the World Cup next summer.
The World Cup final will be held at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which is just outside New York City.
That means there is a strong chance Mamdani could be sat near the President for the match next July.
However, it will not be Mamdani's first involvement in football.
Back in 2012, he told journalist Sid Lowe that he had bought shares in Spanish club Real Oviedo, who are now playing in La Liga.
Mamdani posted on X: "Just bought a share, possibly Oviedo's first shareholder based in Maine?"
In November 2012, football fans around the world came together to help save Real Oviedo, who had fallen into financial difficulty.
The club needed to raise €2 million to avoid closure, and former stars Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata and Michu all invested to help keep them afloat.
Soon after, Carlos Slim, who was the world's richest man at the time, invested €2 million, which ultimately saved the club.
Real Oviedo returned to the Spanish Segunda Division, which is the Spanish second division, in 2015, after a 13-year absence.
They first came close to a La Liga return in the 2023-24 season, but narrowly missed out after losing 2-1 on aggregate to Espanyol in the final.
However, they finally secured promotion to the top flight last season, defeating Mirandes 3-1 after extra time in the final.
Real Oviedo have struggled to make the jump to La Liga.
They currently sit 19th, with eight points from 11 games, although they remain just one point from safety.
Their first home match back in the league was against Real Madrid, where Kylian Mbappe scored twice in a 3-0 away victory.
Since then, Oviedo have claimed their first home win against Real Sociedad, although they later suffered defeat to Barcelona.
Their only other victory so far this season came in dramatic fashion at Valencia, scoring twice in a minute to seal a 2-1 comeback win.
James Taylor